PreGameday: the Sunflower Showdown

For 17 years, the likes of Bill Snyder and Chris Klieman have kept the Governor’s Cup in Manhattan, putting up some dominant performances and outlasting the close calls. Kansas HC Lance Leipold has yet to win the Sunflower Showdown, but he’s come a lot closer than previous Jayhawk coaches have.

Coach Klein is undefeated as a player, QB coach and offensive coordinator against the Hawks, but he will have to prove that he can carry the streak as the shot caller for the Cats. But don’t let KU’S 2-3 record fool you; this will be one of the tougher Jayhawk teams K-State has had to face in almost 20 years.

Defense

The biggest headlines around this matchup revolve around the offense; Dylane Edwards returning to Manhattan, Isaiah Marshall coming off of his best game as a college QB in Utah, KU’s receivers having a great start to the season, etc. But the bedrock of this Kansas squad lies on the other side of the field with the Jayhawk’s defense.

KU’s defense ranks 55th in scoring defense, 21st in passing yards allowed and 17th in tackles for loss. The Jayhawks have a strong front seven, with Leroy Harris III leading the charge as a fast and strong edge rusher. Harris picked up two sacks and two and a half TFLs against Utah, who has a top 10 rushing offense in the country. Harris is joined by Michigan State transfer David Santiago, a 6 ‘4 defensive end who has two forced fumbles on the season, including one against Utah. 

The Jayhawk’s front seven mirrors the Cats in their ability to attack the quarterback, but also their struggles with doing the same against the run game. Utah’s Wayshawn Parker and Mizzou’s Jamal Roberts both ran for over 120 yards against the Hawks, being a critical part to KU’s downfall in both matchups.

Another comparison between the two Kansas schools is in the secondary. Both units are high energy, fast, and rank top 20 for passing yards allowed. KU’s safeties are particularly strong, with Senior Corey Gordon and Junior Taylor Davis both having strong starts to the year.

For K-State’s offense, the run game has to be back to nonconference form. Joe Jackson has been a nonfactor in Big 12 play and Rodney Fields Jr. hasn’t gotten far in his limited carries as well. The emphasis for the past two games has been on Avery’s arm, but that’s not gonna work against this Jayhawks defense.

Offense

Though the Cats dominated the Showdown last season in Lawrence, the last meeting in Manhattan was a much different story. If it weren’t for untimely turnovers from former Qb Jalon Daniels in 2024 or Cole Ballard in 2023, we could be looking at K-State trying to rebuild a streak today. But neither Ballard nor Daniels is running point for the new KU. 

Sophomore QB Isaiah Marshall has been a long-awaited experiment for Kansas fans, as Coach Leipold hasn’t been without Jalon Daniels on the roster since he touched down in Lawrence. So far, Marshall has been all over the place. Some moments he looks electric with real dual threat talent that could be an X factor for KU. Other moments, he looks like a deer in headlights and doesn’t handle pressure well, choosing to run rather than pass as often as he can.

Marshall actually has more passing yards than Avery Johnson after putting up a 333 yard performance through the air in Salt Lake City last weekend. His rushing ability has been there since day one, but if his skills as a passer continue to improve, it could be a long day for the Wildcat defense.

On top of Marshall is the elephant in the room; the return of Dylan Edwards. Edwards transferred to Kansas after a tumultuous 2025 campaign that started with a muffed punt and ended with a redshirt in the middle of the season. K-State recruited Edwards as a high schooler, ultimately losing him to Coach Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. After one season, Edwards decided to call Manhattan home, showing flashes of brilliance in his 2024 campaign. But in 2025, Edwards muffed a punt in the Aer Lingus Classic, kicked a bench and was injured for the next month.

As KU is still without Yasin Willis, Edwards will have to be the bell cow for this Jayhawks rushing attack. There’s no doubt that he will have a chip on his shoulder, as will all of the 50,000+ fans watching him. Edwards has been a great rusher for the Hawks at times, but didn’t have the best performance against Utah. With K-State’s struggles stopping the run, Marshall and Edwards could spell trouble for the Cats.

With the running attack comes a good group of receivers to surround Marshall. Nik McMillan, Nahzae Cox and Cam Pickett all have answered the call when needed and have been there to supplement Marshall’s early struggles. K-State’s secondary will have to watch the deep ball, but their early season success will be an important factor to try and disrupt a young quarterback.

In conclusion, this Sunflower Showdown will be one of the most competitive games we’ve seen in a long time. K-State has flaws in a lot of different positions and may be down another tight end after Garrett Oakley was announced to be questionable for the game tomorrow. KU is strong on defense and getting better on offense every day, and that combination could give them the juice they need to get over the hump. With that being said, K-State’s home crowd advantage is a huge deal; and with Terrance Newman coming back to visit Manhattan, the team will have to show out for one of the best defensive Wildcats in school history. 

A win tomorrow for K-State gives them a win streak of 18, but a loss could mean losing the fans for the season if some decide to check out after three straight losses. The stakes are high, the teams are hyped and the fans are even more excited. The stage is set for another great battle for the Governor’s Cup.